Soul Academy Days
by Yukito097
Summary: Soul Academy Days (or SAD for short) is the story of Alex Kaminari and Niachol Kaname, one determined to become a Soul Reaper strong enough to defeat any hollow, the other a lost soul seeking revenge. The two meet, and blood will spill.
1. Soul Reapers

I don't remember how I died. Or even _when_ I died. It's hard to keep track of time here in the Soul Society, even though that's all we really have. Time, and mould. In the 80th Rukon District, nothing is sacred. You live wherever you drop, you pee wherever you are when the need arises, and you eat what others don't. Not even the gangs from the other districts bother with this territory, and the only way out is through the endless forest shrouded in mist.

Usually, nothing exciting ever happens here, so the fact that there's a crowd of people holding signs near the border between our district and the 79th was interesting to me. I had to see what all the fuss was about, maybe even get in on some of the action myself.

As I drew closer, I could see what was written on the signs. 'No Soul Reapers', 'Kido Monsters Out', 'Keep Rukongai Free'. They were Soul Reaper protestors, a bunch that made up the majority of this district. I didn't really follow them myself, but I'd heard the stories of Soul Reaper tyranny that I could understand why they would want to keep the group out. What I didn't understand was why they were so active today… until I saw him. The tall, sneaky-looking man whose face reminded me of a fox plotting its next move.

He was being accompanied by four other Soul Reapers, and the closer they came to the crowd, the more they screamed and hurled rocks. Either the crowd had terrible aim, or those rocks were being deflected by some invisible force around this man.

"Now, now. There's no need for such vulgarities," the man said as he stopped just before the group. "I am here on official business, to investigate the recent disturbances around this area."

"The disturbance is _you_!" one man shouted as he hurled another rock.

"We didn't ask for your kind, so don't show up where you're not wanted!" a woman carrying a baby yelled out.

"Uh, go back to Seireitei?" I really have nothing better to shout, but hey, beats doing nothing. Whether it be unfortunate or not, my call drew the man's attention to me. He eyed me, even though it appeared his eyes never opened once.

"Oh, my. Now _this_ is a pleasant surprise," he said, ignoring the rocks and further protests as he approached me. As he came near, I tried to back away, but my legs suddenly felt numb. Not only that, but I was hungry all of a sudden, and the world began to spin around me. "To think you're already this big."

"Uh…" I could hardly make any words form. I quickly shook my head and tried again. "Y-You… know me?"

"Hm? Oh, forgive me if I'm mistaken, but you look so much like your old man. You _are_ Alex Kaminari, right?"

H-He knows my name! "Yeah, that's right!" And moreso than that… "You… know my father?"

"I _did_," was all that he gave as an answer, before reaching out his hand and laying it atop my head. "Well then, I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm on duty right now. Perhaps we will meet again, though?"

"Huh?"

"You _are_ going to become a Soul Reaper, aren't you?"

A soul Reaper? _Me_? I'd never even considered it. I mean, I've only ever heard bad things about them, and this man certainly does seem… suspicious.

Before I could give any answer, the man left with his group. It seemed _they_ didn't have the same sort of protection from rocks as their leader. My legs gave out just as soon as that man's presence left my senses. I trembled for what felt like several minutes. What did he _do_ to me?

Suddenly, an ear-piercing roar filled the air. All the protests stopped, and my breathing steadied. I looked up ahead, seeing the air contort strangely before me. Then, an opening appeared, and from the black void inside, some large, eight-legged creature with a large skull mask climbed out. It roared, and everybody fled the opposite direction.

"A… A hollow!" I screamed. It was all I could do, along with turning around and running away like everybody else. "Everyone run! A hollow's here!"

"Shoot to kill, Shinsou."

A long, silver blade zoomed past my face. I stopped dead in my tracks. My body broke out into a cold sweat. I followed that blade behind me, to where it had met with the hollow's face. The hollow disintegrated into midair, and the blade retracted. Following it back, I found its source.

"Sorry about that," the fox-faced man said. "I thought you would've ducked. Well, no harm, no foul."

How could I duck something _that_ fast? No, never mind that… He just killed a hollow with one, swift strike, as though it were nothing! I've heard of hollows killing and eating so many souls that I thought they were unstoppable monsters. I could only run and tell everyone else to do the same. But this man… He wasn't afraid. He didn't hesitate. He just stepped in and removed the hollow as quickly as it had appeared.

And he's supposed to be our enemy?

"A lone hollow breaking into Soul Society is ridiculous," the man said as he turned to his group. "It must have entered with a pack. Let's spread out and find the rest."

"Yes, Captain Ichimaru, sir!"

"U-Um…"

The man ignored me as he walked by, stopping when he just past my shoulders to say, "When you're faced with an enemy, you have two options: you can run, or fight." As he continued to walk away from me, he added, "Which will _you_ do?"

With that kind of power… I could defeat hollows and save people, too. With that kind of power, I would never have to be afraid of dying again. With that kind of power… maybe I could finally do something with my life, instead of rotting away like the trash that surrounds me.

Clenching my fist, I turned around and asked, "Excuse me. Where… Where can I sign up to become a Soul Reaper?"


	2. Soul Academy: Arrival

"Wow! To think, starting today, we're gonna be Soul Reapers!"

I smiled with my friend. "Well, Soul Reapers _in-training_," I amended. "Still, why'd you want to sign up, too?"

"You kiddin' me? That district is garbage!" True that. "The only reason I stayed there was because my best friend was there. Without you, I've got no reason to stay."

Xero Kaname has been my best friend for… however many years I'd been living in that dump then. His long, spiky blue hair often made him the target or many Rukon-dwellers who had too much time on their hands, and were angry at something-or-other. He's a strong fighter, though, and a sharper thinker. We used to spread out to scavenge food and then meet back to find shelter together, but now… "Guess we'll be eating much better from now on, huh?"

"Yeah. I hear Soul Reapers eat like kings," Xero said. "And the streets of Seireitei are actually kept clean!"

Looking out my window, I could see the sparkling, reflective marble path that the carriage was riding along. "Well, you're right about that one, at least. I wonder why more people don't want to become Soul Reapers?"

"A lot of Rukon-dwellers hate them." Fair point. "But other than that, only people like you and me, who get hungry, have what it takes to become Soul Reapers."

My stomach growled upon the mention of hunger. "Hunger is a sign that you can become a Soul Reaper?"

"From what I've heard, you only get hungry if you've got a strong well of spirit energy inside you. One of the things they teach you here is how to control that hunger."

The carriage stopped. "I guess we're here." I climbed out after Xero and looked around. There were so many people, all in different guises. There were the neat, tidy-looking ones in fancy kimono clothes, the more-scruffy ones in freshly-washed yukata, and the dishevelled-looking ones in torn-and-battered clothing. We were clearly the latter. I heard laughter to our right and turned to find a man and a woman chatting.

"Look at them. They honestly think they have what it takes to survive this academy?" the man asked.

"They're from the 80th District. Is the academy really _that_ desperate?" the woman said.

"I just hope they at least wash before we mingle with them."

Well that hurt. "I wash twice a week, y'know?" I mumbled as I pulled a dirty shard of glass from my yukata's inner-pocket. Okay, so I wasn't the _cleanest_ I've ever been… My brown hair had twigs and debris in it… my face was covered in dirt… my lips were dry and cracking… "Hey, do my eyes look bloodshot to you?"

"If you're gonna get the flu, save it for later," Xero said. "Hey, I just realised! We're gonna bathe in water that's _not_ part of a river!"

"You're right!" An actually, cleansing bath! Or maybe one of those 'shower' things I've heard about. "Maybe we can even check out one of those bathhouses."

Xero grinned. "Maybe it'll be mixed bathing."

Mixed bathing? Now there's a thought. Being a Soul Reaper was gonna be great!

"Excuse me! Make way!"

Xero and I looked on to find a group of four students wearing the Soul Academy uniform coming our way, carrying something large and metallic between them. We stepped aside to let them pass. They stopped suddenly as one almost tripped.

"Be careful with that!" a manic voice screamed behind the group. When I looked, I saw a large man… maybe? He was wearing the traditional Soul Reaper shihakushou, with a white coat over that, and a very strange mask covering his entire head. "Honestly, why did I ever agree to that stupid intern system? Hm?" The man's eyes turned to me. "What do you think _you're_ looking at?"

Yikes! This man sends shivers down my spine… and everywhere else! "U-Uh, I was just… wondering what that big thing was, that's all!"

"Hmph! A simply street urchin from the 80th Rukon District thinks he could possibly understand the sophisticated science behind my latest and greatest work?"

He didn't have to be so blunt about it…

"In any case, it is none of your business!"

"Captain Kurotsuchi?" the woman standing beside the rude man addressed, pointing to the group of panting students. "I think they're tired."

"Oh? You four need another energy boost?" the man asked, pulling out a needle of some strange green liquid that seeped out of the end.

Suddenly, the four students bolted upright and responded in unison, "N-No, sir, Captain Kurotsuchi, sir!"

"We could carry this thing for a hundred more miles!" one of the male students said. "Right gang?!" The rest quickly nodded together.

"Well in that case, I _was_ going to let you take a break after returning to my lab, but if you have _that_ much energy, it would be waste not to make use of it, don't you think?"

The four students' jaws dropped. They slowly started moving once, carrying that large whatever-it-was with their heads hung low.

"Sheesh. I hope not _all_ captains are like _that_," Xero said as he watched the six leave.

"So that was a captain… Now that I think about it, fox-face had a white coat like that, too."

"Yeah. That's the haori that all captains wear. And look." Xero pointed to the woman walking alongside the captain. "That badge is worn by all lieutenants."

"A lieutenant? Huh…"

"Looks like everyone's going in." I turned to look towards the entrance. Everybody was indeed filing inside. "Let's go."

"Yeah," I said with a nod, following Xero and the rest of the students towards my life.


	3. Enrolment Day

After being sorted into our homeroom classes for the year, everybody split up to attend their first meetings with their homeroom tutors. Xero and I were sadly in different classes, since he scored over ninety percent on his entrance exam and I scored… twenty-five…

Apparently, even though we're the lowest of the low, we're not to feel discouraged. All it means is there is plenty of room for improvement. Personally, I think our tutor was just trying to convince _himself_ more than _us_.

We were asked to introduce ourselves one-by-one, and when my turn came… "I'm Alex Kaminari! I'm from the 80th Rukon District and decided to become a Soul Reaper so that I could be strong enough to fight hollows, and because there was little else to do!" The class laughed for a bit. I guess I can be funny when I want to be. "I like to read manga and hate academics!"

"Then perhaps you enrolled into the wrong place," my tutor advised, sparking more laughter from the class.

"Don't worry, I'll bear it! At least until I get my Zanpakutou! By the way, when _do_ we get our Zanpakutou?"

The entire class fell silent… and then erupted into laughter again. I was only asking… "Next student, please."

"This first exercise today will determine how strong your spiritual energy currently is, and how well you are at controlling it! Let's begin with you!"

Our drill sergeant started with a frail-looking student first. The student held out his hand and yelled very loudly. A tiny blue orb appeared in his hands. "Too feeble! Work on harnessing your spirit energy! Remember, this is different to _physical_ exercise!"

The next was a muscular woman who held out both hands and unleashed a mighty roar. A large blue orb appeared, blinded everybody around her, and then exploded.

"Good! But your control is severely lacking!" The instructor came to me, next. "Now you try!"

"Uh, I've never done this before…"

"Just hold your hand and imagine a sphere forming in your palm. For a beginner, _two_ hands might be easier."

With a nod, I held out both of my hands and closed my eyes. "Oooooohhhhhh…." I couldn't _feel_ anything. "OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!"

"That's enough!"

I opened my eyes. There was nothing there. "S-Sorry. I'm sure I'll get it."

"'Get it'? For a first try, that was an admirable attempt. Your sphere may have been small, but it was steady."

"… Eh?"

"WHOA!"

"Check out _that_ guy!"

"Amazing!"

I turned my eyes to the opposite side of the field, where another class was doing the same exercise as us. It was Xero's turn, and his sphere was… _huge_!

"Take it in, class!" the instructor on the opposite side of the field said. "This is the kind of spiritual energy you would expect to find of one who will specialise in Kidou!"

So, Xero's a Kidou guy, huh?

[hr]

Two different types of Kidou… That's what we're learning in our first lecture today, along with the other fighting techniques. Hmmm…

"Are there any questions?" our tutor asked.

"I've got one," I said as I raised my hand. I stood up and asked, "How can you tell the difference between the two types of Kidou."

"Well-"

"Excuse me, Professor?" a female student called out, rising in her seat. Her hair was long and blonde, tied into a long pigtail to the left side. She had an air of sophistication around her… and the look of nobility. "May I answer this question?"

The professor turned to the female student and nodded his head.

After a bow, the girl turned to me and said, "Hadou, the destructive arts of Kidou, make you feel as though you are burning inside when you channel the energy to cast them. Bakudou makes you feel peaceful, like you were mediating. In either case, controlling them is fundamentally the same; with Hadou, you must keep the burning strong but not let it harm you, and with Bakudou, you must maintain that inner peace, even through all distractions."

As the girl sat down, the professor said, "Thank you." He then turned to me and asked, "Is that all you had to ask."

"Uh, well… how can you tell the difference when a spell is being used _against_ you?"

The professor was silent for a moment as he rubbed his long beard. "Hollows cannot use Kidou," he said, "But in the event that you are to face a rouge Soul Reaper to the death, you must rely on either your memory, or your instinct. Unless you are a Kidou expert, it is virtually impossible to distinguish an unfamiliar spell until it hits you, and by that point it is too late.

"This is a good time for me to tell you all: I should have to tell you this, but the use of Kidou outside of practice sessions without the permission of an instructor or somebody of greater rank is strictly forbidden. Breaking this rule will result in disciplinary action, even possibly expulsion. And above all, _never_ aim a Kidou at another student outside of sparring matches."

[hr]

After that lecture continued to drag on for what felt like hours, the class was finally let out. I was too tired to find Xero, and decided to just make my way to my dorm. Our uniforms were supposedly waiting for us in our rooms.

It was a shame that Xero and I weren't roomed together, but hey, I figured it just gave me a chance to meet someone new. After finding my room number, eighty-three, I used the key given to me earlier and walked inside. There was a bunk bed, two desks, two wardrobes and a doorway that was partially open. Steam was pouring through the crack and I could hear running water. "Guess my roommate's washing up. Now let's see, where's that uniform?"

I looked on top of both beds, but found nothing. I opened one wardrobe and found a pink yukata with a flower pattern hung up. It looked familiar… but then, with all the fancy and frilly clothing I'd seen that day, I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I closed the wardrobe and opened the next one, finding my blue Soul Academy uniform inside. With a smile, I took it out and simply looked at it for several seconds.

"Wow… This thing is _clean_. And it's not ripped anywhere."

The sound of running water stopped, prompting me to turn around. "Are you my roommate? I just finished showering, if you want to step in."

… That must have been my roommate's voice. It was very… feminine.

The door opened, and out stepped what was most definitely _not_ a man. A blonde-haired woman stepped outside, a towel wrapped around her body as water dripped from her hair. Our eyes met and the world froze for a few seconds as I tried to think of something to say.

"Uh… Thanks for your explanation earlier." I slowly put my uniform away and closed the wardrobe, keeping my back to the girl. "Um… you might be in the wrong room."

"D-Don't even try it!" the girl shouted, stomping a foot on the floor behind me. "This is _my_ dorm! How dare you sneak in to peek on me!"

"But… I've got the key," I said, turning around to show my key. "And the uniform they gave me is the _male_ one."

The girl stomped pasted me and approached the other wardrobe. There were some drawers beneath it. She opened the top drawer to reveal a _red_ Soul Academy uniform.

"… This must be a mistake," she concluded as she rose up. "You, get out while I change."

"Well, I was gonna use the bathroom anyway…"

"No! I mean get _out_! After I change, we're sorting this all out!"

"What do you mean it's unavoidable?!" the girl shouted at the poor girl at the reception table. Seriously, she was hiding behind her clipboard as though it were the Aegis.

"A-As I've already explained, we have a peak number of students this year and the dorms are full! We've had to turn many away simply because there's no room for them, and many students have to commute from Rukongai."

"But I'm a _girl_! And he's a _boy_!"

"For the record, I don't mind." Anything's better than rooming with skunks and racoons and badgers and… Man, my life really _did_ suck, huh?

"I'm terribly sorry, but the female to male ratio is out of balance. Mixed dorms are inevitable."

"ARGH! Maybe you'd like to take that up with my _father_!"

"If you are not happy with your current living conditions, the best I can do is put forth your complain my supervisor. If another incident such as this occurs, you may be able to swap rooms with another student. Other than that, I can only suggest you find a girl in a same-sex dormitory that doesn't mind swapping with you."

"Oh, trust me, I'll do just that! Let's go!"

I bowed to the shaking receptionist before following after my disruptive roommate. "So what gives? You never shared a room with a boy before?"

"Only my father," the girl answered. "It's improper for a boy and a girl to share living quarters together outside of marriage!"

"Really? 'Cause where I come from, it doesn't really matter _who_ you room with, so long as they don't try to kill you in your sleep."

"You must be from the slums, then," the girl said. "I wouldn't expect a slum-dweller like _you_ to understand a thing about common decency."

"At least I don't frighten innocent souls just doing their job because I don't like my roommate."

The girl stopped and turned to face me. She looked furious… "Listen, you. My name is Echo Basin. Know what that means?"

"Uh…" I put my hand to my chin. She said something about common decency… Oh, I know! You introduce yourself after someone else has! "I'm Alex Kaminari."

"I don't want your name! The Basin clan is nobility! I was _born_ in Soul Society, and we're raised to be above the rest! Great things are expected of me, and the way people see me is the difference between whether I make it far as a Soul Reaper or not! Now, how do you think it looks for a girl and a boy to spend every night in the same room together, alone?"

"… When you put it that way, I guess I can see your point," I admit. "But, opinions are just that. I mean, I come from a place made of garbage, but I'm not gonna stop just because people think I'm poor and uneducated."

"It must be nice to have no expectations," Echo said. She turned around and continued to walk down the corridor. I followed. "The reason I answered your question earlier was to establish myself, right there and then. To have been put into the lowest class just because one little mistake is shameful. I had to show that I was capable at the start of the year."

"A mistake? What kind?"

"… None of your business," she said. We continued to walk in silence until we reached our dorm room. Before opening it, Echo turned back to me and said, "Look, I'm sorry for blowing up at you like that. Some advice, to make up for it: you should cut your hair, or tie it back. It gets in the way during combat. It's just, image is everything for nobility. I'll get this sorted out on my own tomorrow."

"If that's how you feel," I said with a shrug. I reach for my hair and glance at it. "And thanks. I'll consider your advice."

Echo opened the door and stepped inside. "Oh, and I'm on the _top_ bunk."

"What?!" Echo ran to the bed and climbed up the ladder before I could even get into the room. "Damnit…"


	4. Intruder

Xero and I met for lunch the following day. It was the first time since initiation that we were able to actually meet. Though being in the highest class, I guess he had more homework than lunch. Compared to my measly sheet of Kidou names to remember, Xero's stack of papers was like a mountain.

"You should've flunked the entrance exam," I told him. He returned an irritated glare at me.

"Why you wearing your yukata, anyway? Didn't you get your new uniform?"

"If the teachers ask, I didn't," I said. "Actually, I couldn't shower last night and I don't want to get my uniform all dirty."

"It broken?"

I nodded my head. "I tried to use it and almost burned my skin off! I'm gonna see the faculty about tonight."

"You sure you didn't just have it set too high?"

"… Come again?"

Xero sighed and slammed a hand into his face. What'd I say? "You have to the dial to adjust the water's temperature. Don't tell me your roommate didn't know how to work the shower, either."

"Uh, it was kind of awkward speaking to her."

"Her? You're roomed with a girl?" Xero hummed as he tapped a pencil against his chin. "On a scale of one to ten, how attractive is she?"

"Eh, an eight, I guess. That's not the point though. She's not too happy with rooming with a boy. Something about it being bad for her image."

"That sucks. _My_ roommate is pretty cool. I think you'll like him."

"Never mind that, though. How's all this Kidou stuff going for you? I hear you're a 'specialist'."

Xero laughed. "Come on. Kidou takes _months_ to learn. Though I _may_ be something of an expert with controlling my spiritual energy," he boasted, with that cocky grin of his whenever he outdid me at _anything_. "Seriously though, I think you and my roommate would hit it off."

I gave him a curious look. Why was he so obsessed with my meeting his roommate? Well, a new friend surely couldn't have hurt. "Well, how about I drop by your dorm after classes today then?"

"Sure. I'll let him know you're coming." Xero reached into his lunchbox and pulled out a rice ball. "The food here is pretty nice."

"Kind of a shame we're putting it in these boxes we plucked from the garbage." I reached into my own box with my chopsticks and pulled out what I was told was an 'omelette'. "Sure was nice of the kitchen staff to give us these leftovers."

"We gotta find jobs," Xero said. "Until we start getting our allowances next week, we're flat broke."

Captain Sousuke Aizen opened the large double doors before him and stepped into the head-captain's chambers. All thirteen captains of the Court Guard Squad were gathered then, as soon as Aizen had taken his position between Squad Seven's Captain Sajin Komamura, and Squad Three's Captain Gin Ichimaru.

The head-captain opened his eyes. "This meeting between the thirteen captains will now begin. I thank you all for taking the time out to attend on such short notice."

"Honestly. I'm in the middle of a critical test," Mayuri Kurotsuchi complained. "That hollow that killed Kaien Shiba is like none I've ever experimented on before. It is truly quite fascinating."

"Captain Kurotsuchi, show some respect for the dead!" Soi Fon scolded. "Lieutenant Shiba was a fine man, and-"

"It is alright, Soi Fon," Juushirou Ukitake said in a solemn tone. "Indeed, he was… he was a great lieutenant, and an even greater friend." Juushirou raised his head to face Mayuri. "That is why, Captain Kurotsuchi, I want you to find out every last thing about that hollow that killed him. As you said, it is no ordinary beast. If more hollows like _that_ begin to show up…"

"I'm sorry to distract you from your new toy," Gin apologised in a sarcastic tone, "But rest assured, I believe you will soon have something even more of interest to play with."

Mayuri regarded Gin with an interested stare. "Oh?"

"This is regarding the recent break-in at the 80th Rukon District, am I right?" Aizen asked. "For a pack of hollows to break into Soul Society is indeed a concern, but considering the location and the size of the attack, it is hardly unprecedented."

"No. What is, though, is that one such hollow was wiped out by a member not of our squad." Gin turned to Aizen with an amused grin. "Furthermore, the hollow wasn't cleansed. It was wiped out, completely. Not a single trace remained by the time we had got there."

"So there was another Soul Reaper in the 80th District?" Soi Fon asked. "Or at least somebody who could fight."

"You're missing the point," Kaname Tousen said, his face fixed to the floor beneath him. "The hollow's presence was 'wiped out'. This suggests that whoever killed hollow did so without a Zanpaktou."

"Either that, or they purposely tried to cover up the fact that the hollow was there," Retsu Unohana added. "Is that what you are getting at, Captain Ichimaru?"

"Feh. A coward who hides his presence doesn't interest me," Kenpachi Zaraki said in a bored tone, reaching a finger up to scratch the side of his face. "You called me away from my training for this? Let the Third Squad handle it, I don't care."

"Somebody who was able to mask their presence from a _captain_ doesn't interest you?" Toushirou Hitsugaya aked.

"Like I said, I don't care for cowards who hide in shadows. Now if he were to come out and fight us like a man…"

"If it was just the matter of the intrusion, I would not have called all thirteen of you captains to this meeting," Genryuusai Shigekuni Yamamoto said, interrupting the other captains' conversation. "At early sunrise this morning, the walls surrounding the Seireitei came down. However, upon investigation, there were found to be no signs of any intruders, save for a solitary footprint _inside_ the sekkiseki rock wall."

"So the intruder has breached the Serieritei," Aizen surmised, putting a hand to his chin.

"The footprint does not match the waraji sandles that is standard issue to all Soul Reapers, so that is the assumption that we are making."

"Furthermore," Gin said, "The breach occurred on the _northern_ end of the Seireitei, near the academy. If the intruder is targeting up-and-coming Soul Reapers, it'd be a problem, don't ya think?"

"The Stealth Force can keep an eye on the students at the academy," Soi Fon offered. "Meanwhile, I think Squad Ten would be best suited for leading up this investigation."

"Give me a break!" Toushirou replied. "I'm already swamped in paperwork thanks to my unreliable lieutenant, and my workload's not getting any easier trying to find his replacement!"

"How about that one _I_ suggested?" Gin asked, earning an annoyed glared from the child captain.

"Rangiku Matsumoto… I don't know. She's skilled, but… personality-wise…"

"Could it be that the Squad Ten captain is intimidated by refined women?" Gin asked with a look of mock-concern. "Well, I suppose you _are_ getting to be that age."

"Shut up!" Toushirou yelled, his face red. "I mean that she's a slob! She showed up to the interview _drunk_!"

"Enough of this!" the head-captain yelled, slamming his staff down. "Squad Three has already started the investigation, and they will continue it! Squad Ten Captain, I sympathise with you, but in times of emergency you must control your hormones!"

"L-Like I said, that's not-"

"The Stealth Force will watch Soul Academy. As for the rest of you, be on your guards. Captains are permitted to release their Zanpakutou should they encounter the intruder, and are ordered to bring him in _alive_! Inform the rest of your squads to be vigilant. That is all. You are now dismissed."

"Captain Hitsugaya," Unohana said as she passed said captain, "If you have the time, I have some reference material that may be of aid to you."

"'Reference material'? For what?"

Unohana gave a warm smile. "Understanding the changes that your body is going through."

A vein in Hitsugaya's head popped. He turned around and stomped away. "ARGH! Leave me alone!"

"… Such a delicate time for him," Unohana commented with a light chuckle.

"You seem to be enjoying this," Aizen noted with a concerned look. "Anyway, about this intruder…"

"Is there something on your mind, Squad Five Captain?"

"To completely wipe out a hollow, so fast that not even a captain could arrive in time to see it… I've only heard of one group capable of such a thing."

"Yes, but that group is now extinct."

"But if by chance one slipped through the cracks-"

"If that happened, then we will just have to be ready. I will be ready to treat the fallen, and _you_ should be ready to protect your lieutenant."

Aizen watched Unohana walk away and smiled. "Yes, you're right, Captain Unohana."

As I returned to my dormitory that night, I once again heard the sound of running water in the bathroom. Another shower, already? Must be a noble thing. As I passed by the partially-open door, an idea came to my mind… I wondered how much of the bathroom I could see through that crack and snuck up close… The steam covered my glasses, blocking my vision.

A knock at the door startled me, making me jump with a gasp. "I'll get it!" I called out to Echo, running from the bathroom door to the hallway one. Upon opening it, I found two Soul Reapers standing outside, one with a clipboard in his hand, the other holding his Zanpakutou's hilt.

"Sorry to disturb you, but we have emergency orders for all students: you are not to leave your rooms tonight, or any night until otherwise told."

"A curfew?" I asked, receiving a nod. "Why?"

"That's not important. Just stay in your rooms after classes until the curfew is lifted." With that, the Soul Reaper left.

"Well that sucks. Guess I'll have to meet Xero's friend another time."

"Hey, I wouldn't use the shower if I were you," Echo called out from inside the bathroom. "Are you looking away?"

"Yeeeeah…" I heard footsteps behind me and pulled out the dirty mirror inside my pocket. Nice figure… Maybe an eight wasn't generous enough. "So what's up with the shower?"

"It seems the drain is clogged. And we can't go out to complain, either."

"Nuts to that noise!" I reach for the door handle and swing the thing open. "I'm not going another day without my new uniform!"

"But there's a curfew!" Echo yelled behind me. "If you're caught outside after hours-"

"Hey, I'm only going down to the reception area? I'm sure they won't mind."

"Unless I get lost on the _way_ to the reception area and have no idea where I _am_!" Yeah, so maybe trying to navigate the largest building I'd ever been in all on my own wasn't such a great idea. Still, how does one wind up finding the gymnasium instead of the dormitory reception desk? Heck, I didn't even know this place _had_ a gymnasium.

"Maybe I should ask for directions back… I could pretend I was lost _before_ hearing about the curfew."

"Don't move." Aaaand then there was a hand over mouth. And something sharp poking the side of my neck. "You're my hostage now. Keep calm, and you'll live."

I tried to turn my head, but he was having none of it. All I could do was look ahead into the darkness of the gymnasium, whilst some mysterious person had my life in their hands!

That was when the world suddenly warped around me. One second, I was looking at a vast, empty room, just starting to make out what the shadows inside were. The next, I was facing the light of the hallway outside, giving me the perfect image of my assailant: a man with long golden hair, dressed in slim, white clothing, with a crossbow strapped to his side.

"Seems I made it just in time," a voice beside me said. I recognised that voice; it was fox-face. "Y'know, all students are _supposed_ to be under curfew right now."

Yikes. Busted. "Um, I… R-Really?" I asked with the best innocent grin I could muster. "N-News to me!"

"Hmm… Well, I'll escort you back…" Fox-face's eyes opened slightly, and I felt that same chill again from when that _other_ captain looked at me. "Just as soon as I'm finished here."


End file.
